1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to video conferencing systems, and more particularly to a videoconferencing endpoint apparatus for use with a one-to-many or a many-to-many conference without the use of a single or multiple fixed multi-point-control-unit(s).
2. Background of the Prior Art
When it is desirable to conduct multi-point conferences, wherein three or more parties (each party consisting of an individual or group located at a particular conference endpoint) participate in the conference. Multi-point conferences are particularly useful in situations where several interested parties need to participate in the resolution of an issue, or where information is to be disseminated on an enterprise-wide level. To conduct multi-point conferences, the conference endpoints are conventionally interconnected through an external piece of equipment called a multi-point control unit (MCU). The multi-point control unit is provided with fixed multiple ports for receiving signals representative of audio and video information generated at each of the conference endpoints. The received signals are mixed and/or switched as appropriate, and the mixed/switched signals are subsequently transmitted to each of the conference endpoints.
The many disadvantages of a hardware based multi-point control unit are the cost of the multi-point control unit and the fixed number of connections available. The environmental impact of the multi-point control unit in requiring significant resources to house the unit and the bandwidth required for streaming of a composite video signal.
What is therefore needed is a virtual and dynamically available multipoint control unit with out the fixed overhead of the conventional unit that can be dynamically configured and limited only by the transmission and endpoint resources.